Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-06-09 i Mercury

THE extension of the validity of Zimbabwean exemption permits by a further six months will enable them settled in South Africa to apply for substantive work visas and also help avoid bureaucratic and legal chaos for Pretoria. Dr Stephen Chan, a professor of world politics, said: “The permit extension saves chaos in Zimbabwe which is going to the polls to choose a new administration in August. “Zimbabwe is also tipping deeper into economic chaos, with prices rocketing, and its local unit of exchange free-falling after the country’s reserve bank adopted a ‘market determined’ exchange rate regime this week. “The permit extension means no huge influx of returnees before the election. An extra six months, that is, until the end of 2023, basically to avoid bureaucratic and legal chaos. “But that…

Prosecuting authorities from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to meet next week to engage in the process to resubmit the extradition application for Rajesh and Atul Gupta. The brothers were set free earlier this year after a failed extradition attempt from the UAE. Following the decision by the Dubai Court of Appeal, South African authorities’ prospect of success will largely be based on the resubmission of the extradition request with new and additional documentation. Interpol placed Rajesh and Atul Gupta on its most-wanted list and the brothers were arrested by Dubai police in June last year – they are wanted in South Africa for allegedly looting billions of rand linked to state capture. The UAE court turned down the extradition request as it found that…

A Citroen 2CV made of wood, thought to be the only one of its kind, has sold for $225 000 (R4.3m) at auction in France, setting a new price record for the iconic vehicle. The car, in full working order and registered in France, beat expectations when it went under the hammer in the central town of Tours. The body of the 2CV was hand-crafted out of wood with the same famous curves as the post-war French classic. It was snapped up by Paris-based collector Jean-Paul Favand, who owns a museum of vintage fairground attractions. “I’m having difficulty talking after this bet,” Favand said. The previous high for a 2CV was set in 2016, when an extremely rare 1961 2CV Sahara in almost mint condition was sold for 172 800…

KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Health (DoH) has responded positively to the DA’s call to implement a state of readiness in the event of a cholera outbreak in the province. It was confirmed this week during a health portfolio committee meeting that there are currently no reported cases in KZN, with the following measures also outlined: That there is a high-alert status across all districts. That 70 officials have been trained on rapid response. That pamphlets and posters are being distributed. That meetings have taken place within all districts, municipalities and health facilities to focus on key preparedness criteria. That the provincial war room is being used for preparation and response. That there is close surveillance of all diarrhoeal cases, with additional training on specimen collection. The DA welcomes this response given…

The debate about using wild animals goes back and forth between those who are against it and those who support this controversial practice. It is well documented that wild animals in circuses are often beaten, shocked, kicked, starved or cruelly confined in order to train them to be obedient and perform so-called (unnatural) tricks. Surely, wild animals deserve the right to freedom and to live as naturally as possible? It is also believed that many such animals are drugged during performances to lose their wildness and desire to attack or defend themselves. Many circus animals become dysfunctional, unhealthy, depressed and/or aggressive as a result of the unnatural and unrelenting confinement in which they are kept. What a sad scenario that we continue with this outdated concept in these enlightened times.…

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has asked Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to call on the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on police to summon the SAPS to share their preliminary findings into bribery allegations against MPs in the Section 194 inquiry. Holomisa said the chairperson of the section 194 inquiry, Qubudile Dyantyi, which is probing suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has refused to recuse himself from the committee despite calls by Mkhwebane and other parties to do so. This was because he was implicated with ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and late ANC MP Tina Joemat- Pettersson in bribery allegations. Mkhwebane’s husband, David Skosana, has alleged the trio demanded a bribe of R600 000 to make the inquiry go away. In his letter to the Speaker, Holomisa said the matter could be dragged…

Forest fires continued to burn across Canada yesterday as the country endured its worst start to wildfire season, forcing thousands of people from their homes and sending a smoky haze billowing across US cities. About 3.8 million hectares have already burned, roughly 15 times the 10-year average, according to federal minister of emergency preparedness, Bill Blair. Warm, dry conditions were expected to persist in the months ahead. Although wildfires are common in Canada, it is unusual for blazes to be burning simultaneously in the east and west, stretching firefighting resources and forcing the Canadian government to send in the military to help. Hundreds of US firefighters arrived in Canada to help and more were on their way. Some of the worst fires have sprung up in the eastern province of…

Violence at the notorious Glebelands hostel is continuing, with a man shot dead on Wednesday morning. Lerato Nonkwana, 30, was shot while on his way to work. The murder comes five days after eight men were killed in a shooting at the hostel. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Lerato’s sister, Phumla Nonkwana, said the family could think of no reason why someone would want her brother dead. She said he was not a violent person. “Yesterday morning at 5.50am I heard gunshots, and as I stay near the Glebelands flats, I tried to call my sister, who stays there, to check if they were safe. My younger sister’s response was that she was okay and Lerato had just left the flat.” Nonkwana added that she tried to call Lerato, but…

A VITAL prerequisite for safe living is adequate sanitation facilities, yet South Africa’s sewer system is on the verge of collapse. The country is facing a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, north of Gauteng. In February, the country reported its first two cholera cases following outbreaks in the two most seriously impacted neighbouring nations, Mozambique and Malawi, as per the reports from the UN. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the most recent cholera outbreak in 2008–2009 resulted in over 12 000 cases and 65 fatalities. The difference, however, between the 2008/09 outbreak and the one currently plaguing northern Gauteng is that the former was on the back of an outbreak in Zimbabwe, which spread to South Africa, while the latter has been exacerbated by lack of infrastructure and…

The HIV/Aids treatment centre in Kampala is almost empty, days after Uganda enacted one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on Earth. The usual daily influx of around 50 patients has all but dried up, say staff. Antiretroviral drugs pile up unused. Andrew Tendo, resident medical officer at the US-funded clinic, warned that new waves of HIV infections were forming even as vulnerable people stayed away from treatment centres, afraid of being identified and arrested under the new laws. “The LGBT community in Uganda is on lockdown now,” he said. “They don’t have preventive services. They cannot access condoms ... they cannot access ARTs (antiretrovirals).” Under the bill, which President Yoweri Museveni signed into law last week, gay sex is punishable by life in prison while “aggravated homosexuality”, which includes…

Kherson: Ukraine and Russia accused each other of shelling in the flood-hit Kherson region yesterday, even as rescuers raced to save people stranded after the destruction of a Russian-held dam unleashed a torrent of water. Soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the city of Kherson, Kyiv said a Russian strike had injured eight people. Moscow-installed authorities on the other bank of the flood-swollen Dnipro River said two evacuees were killed by Ukrainian shelling. The death toll from flooding reached six as the Moscow-backed administration of Nova Kakhovka, where the dam is situated, said five people had died and 41 were hospitalised. | AFP…

Islamabad: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan had his bail renewed in over a dozen cases yesterday, a month after his three-day detention sparked violence, thousands of arrests, and the resignations of much of his party’s leadership. The 70-year-old former international cricket star, facing more than 150 cases registered against him since his ousting in April last year, appeared at two courts in Islamabad. His arrest and detention following a court appearance last month sparked nationwide protests. Thousands have already been arrested, with some facing trial by military courts. Khan denies inciting the violence. | AFP…

THE Federated Hospitality Association of SA (Fedhasa) said the Comrades Marathon taking place on Sunday will give the KwaZulu-Natal tourism economy a huge boost. Brett Tungay, Fedhasa East Coast chairperson, said that the Comrades was a good boost for both Pietermaritzburg and Durban. “It will fill all the accommodation venues in and around Pietermaritzburg and Durban. It’s good news all around especially as we had Africa’s Travel Indaba last month, which was a fantastic event for the hospitality and tourism sector. “Overall, event tourism, which include sporting events such as Comrades, football and rugby matches, are a boost to the tourism sector. “We have been motivating for more events in KwaZulu-Natal, such as music concerts or international events as this does help our industry.” Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic…

The grim warning by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa about food shortages and a possible repeat of the July 2021 riots, must be taken seriously by the government and its intelligence institutions. Our so-called democracy represents the most imbalanced nation on earth. This grotesque imbalance is a recipe for disaster, an invitation to chaos and tyranny. How can our nation hope to survive in rivers of monumental wealth alongside oceans of poverty and despair? Under these frightening circumstances a titanic clash will render our Constitution impotent. Our Constitution was designed as an anchor for constitutional governance. It was supposed to be our last refuge from chaos and tyranny. It’s noble provisions were relegated to the dustbins of history. It’s sublime undertakings were mutilated by all and sundry. It…

THE other night a few of we wordsmiths gathered at the Pub With No Name in Florida Road to bid farewell to one of our number who has retired after several decades in newspapers. ’Twas a jolly occasion and it occurred to me that while the name Oscar Stuart will not be familiar to many readers, he is the man – a senior sub-editor – who has been responsible for final quality in our blatts. He’s the man who writes the headlines, cuts out the guff and sniffs out split infinitives the way a terrier sniffs out and pounces on a rat. He’s always been the background man. But one of our number at that little gathering has written a description of Oscar, a huge man of sartorial taste and…

The legal team of the acting Mpumalanga Director of Public Prosecutions, Matric Luphondo, are set to bring an application challenging the authorisation to have him prosecuted. As the trial court was dealing with the admissibility of evidence collected in the fraud case against Luphondo earlier this week, the matter had to be stood down as his legal team informed the court they would be bringing an application. The legal counsel for Luphondo, Danie Dorfling, told the court that they would bring the application on the basis that the authorisation to prosecute Luphondo was not personally signed by the director of public prosecutions (DPP). Dorfling told the court that, as a result, Luphondo was not properly charged as the decision did not comply with the National Prosecuting Authority’s policy directives. Judge…

Scientists have expanded the search for technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilisations by monitoring a star-dense region toward the core of our galaxy for a type of signal that could be produced by potential intelligent aliens that until now has been ignored. Efforts to detect alien technological signatures previously have focused on a narrowband radio signal type concentrated in a limited frequency range or on single unusual transmissions. The initiative, scientists said this week, focuses on a different signal type that perhaps could enable advanced civilisations to communicate across the vast distances of interstellar space. These wideband pulsating signals for which the scientists are monitoring feature repetitive patterns – a series of pulses repeating every 11 to 100 seconds and spread across a few kilohertz, similar to pulses used in radar transmission.…

A much-feared moment – a summer in which the Arctic Ocean features almost entirely open water – could be coming even sooner than expected and has the possibility to become a regular event within most of our lifetimes, according to a new study. Experts have long feared at least an occasional dwindling of floating Arctic ice down to minimal levels by 2050, with a greater risk as humans emit more greenhouse gases. The new research, though, suggests that even in a fairly low-emissions scenario that holds the planet’s warming to below 2°C, regular years without summer Arctic sea ice could occur in the 2050s. In the worst-case scenario, the study said, there is a possibility the Arctic could have Septembers with no ice as soon as the 2030s, a decade…

Some MPs have raised questions about the status of amakhosi across the country in light of what they said was the “elevation” of the Zulu king. In an Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development portfolio committee meeting this week, there were discussions around the Ingonyama Trust, an entity that administers land that is under the control of traditional leadership in KwaZulu-Natal. Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is the sole trustee of the trust. Committee chairperson Inkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela said it had been almost 30 years since the new democratic dispensation, but there was a law that accorded amakhosi different statuses. Mandela said it had been almost 30 years since the new democratic dispensation, but there was a law that accorded amakhosi different statuses. The deal saw about 2.8 million hectares…

THE 96th Comrades Marathon takes place this weekend and it is a down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. More than18 000 runners will line-up for the annual 87.7km gruelling race between the two KwaZulu-Natal cities. Among the participants are 2 354 international athletes from 84 nations. The lion’s share of international runners comes from India with 403 athletes, followed by Zimbabwe with 255, United Kingdom with 224, USA with 173 and Brazil with 142. Gauteng has the biggest number of South African participants at 7 398, with the host province of KwaZulu-Natal coming second with 3 491, in third is the Western Cape with 1 517 and the Eastern Cape at 1 141. The rest of the provinces have under 1000 runners. The Comrades Marathon remains one of the most…

A Syrian refugee suspected of stabbing six people in the French Alpine town of Annecy yesterday did not appear to have a “terrorist motive”, the local prosecutor told reporters. Line Bonnet-Mathis said that of the four children injured in the assault, one was aged just 22 months, two were 2-year-olds, and the eldest was three. The suspect is a Syrian in his early 30s who was granted refugee status in Sweden in April, a police source said. He was arrested at the scene. In a video, the attacker can be heard twice saying “in the name of Jesus Christ” in English. The assailant was wearing a cross when he was arrested after the attack in Annecy, a town 30km south of the Swiss city of Geneva. Two of the young…

RIYADH: US and Saudi Arabia urged countries to take back citizens captured in the fight against Islamic State (IS), with the kingdom’s top diplomat saying it was “absolutely unacceptable” wealthy countries skirted that responsibility. “I would say to those countries, you must step up,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a meeting of the US-led coalition in Riyadh. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said repatriation was key to ensuring the lasting defeat of IS. He said detention centres were holding 10 000 IS fighters, 2 000 of whom were from countries other than Syria and Iraq. He announced $150m for Syrians and Iraqis to better humanitarian conditions. | Reuters…

Addis Ababa: USAID announced a halt to food aid to Ethiopia yesterday, citing a “co-ordinated campaign” to divert donated supplies from the needy as the reason for the suspension. The announcement follows a decision by the US government’s main international aid agency and the World Food Programme last month to freeze food aid to the war-scarred Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The agencies had discovered that shipments were being diverted to local markets. The US agency has discussed the matter with Ethiopia’s government. Millions of Ethiopians are suffering from food shortages due to the two-year conflict in Tigray. | AFP…

WHEN Vladimir Kotov completed the 2012 Comrades Marathon in a time of 5:48:12 to break his previous masters’ (50-59 year olds) record from four years earlier by a good 30 seconds, it was generally agreed that the record would stay forever. They said no 50-year-old could ever run faster than that. They said the Belarusian was a man-machine. They were not exaggerating. After all, Kotov had won the Comrades three times. And all of those victories were as a veteran (40-49 year olds). So, after another splendid run to finish 28th overall in his 13th race, the former winner of both the Eindhoven and Belgrade Marathons had seemingly set a mark that would outlive him. The fastest anyone 50 and over has run since then was a 6:33:42 by Ronald…

WINTER is here! The cold weather and winter swell has arrived. The fishing has continued on all fronts with some decent fish being caught. The winter swell has started and has made ski launching in some spots a little sketchy. Remember that the bigger swells generally have bigger breaks between the sets so just be patient and don't rush. The north coast has been producing a lot of good size snoek and couta. Anglers have been filling hatches on most launches. Fillet baits have proved deadly in the early mornings and have claimed their fair share of couta as well. The importance of tying proper knots and using quality tackle is never more apparent than when you hook a bigger fish on light tackle. The Durban coast has seen a…

TALK show host Wendy Williams is “doing her best” at a wellness facility. The 58-year-old star – who fronted The Wendy Williams Show for over a decade until 2021 when she stepped down due to her ongoing issues with autoimmune condition Graves disease – is said to be receiving treatment and taking things “day by day”, according to her manager Will Selby. He told Entertainment Tonight: “Wendy is doing be her best. She’s taking it day by day. And that’s another thing, too, does anybody even ask like, ‘How's she doing?’ “Does anyone even care... I feel like everyone just puts out negative information about her and that's the focus. Why don't we just stop for a moment and just say, ‘Hey, how is she? Is she doing OK today?’…

THE camera that could have helped police catch the suspects responsible for the recent murder of eight men at the infamous Glebelands Hostel in uMlazi has allegedly not been working for more than a year. The surveillance camera in block 57 at the hostel has apparently not been operational since last year’s floods. It is one of several cameras across uMlazi township that are supposed to help fight crime, but are not in working order. According to the DA, the problem of non-functional cameras was affecting the whole of Durban. DA councillor Sharmaine Sewshanker said the City needed to prioritise getting the 401 non-functional cameras across the municipality working again. “Wherever there are cameras managed by the disaster unit, those cameras are not working. It is not that the cameras…

What the ANC government has been unable to achieve through the promo tion of enabling skills and initiative they are now seeking to achieve sneakishly through legislation while they still have a majority in Parliament. I still recollect hearing former president Nelson Mandela loudly proclaiming: “Never again.” However, now, almost 30 years later, the failed and incompetent ANC government basically admits its failure to achieve “a better life for all” by legislating racially exclusive legislation. They still do not realise that for every correctly employed skilled person – technically and professionally – more gainful employment is created on average for at least four additional persons and that the additional employees will each be able to sustain on average four to six additional dependants. The high unemployment rate (between 30% and…

Remember the days when you stood at the doorway waiting for the postman? And when you saw him at the postbox you would run to see what letter he brought from some far corner of the globe. Nowadays a postman is a rare sight. Modern technology – the computer, internet and the cellphone – have killed the post office and the postman. So I was surprised to see a postman delivering a letter. It was a metro bill but the bill, dated 26/03/2023, was two months late, as if it was coming from a remote corner of the globe. Who was to blame? I wondered. The municipality has a workforce of 8 647 employees, supported by numerous contractors. It is well-equipped with all the modern mechanical devices, machinery, trucks and…

Eskom must first get its house in order before wanting to be partially exempt from disclosing irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in its annual financial statements. This was the view of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana who has refused to grant the power utility the exemption, saying it needed to first ensure that its anti-corruption strategy was credible and had the support of key stakeholders like investors, customers, and the public. The National Treasury confirmed the decision was made after consulting with the Auditor-General and considering all public comments on the matter. “The minister recognises the commitment of the Eskom board and management to fight and expose fraud and corruption, and the additional compliance and reporting burden facing Eskom and other state-owned entities (SOEs). “However, it is the view of the…

A man’s decision to wear his blue shoes when he left home to apply for a job cost him four days in jail after he was mistakenly identified by his shoes as a robber. When Thusi Vukani put his blue shoes on, on the morning of February 4, 2016, and headed to a store, where he hoped to apply for a job, he had no idea that a robber, also wearing blue shoes, would rob someone of a cellphone and some cash near the spot he was passing. As it turned out, security officers who had been alerted to the robbery simply saw his shoes and grabbed him from behind. He was taken to a police station, where he remained in custody, under harrowing circumstances, for four days. After…

Late ANC MP and former minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson will be buried in a private funeral, ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane has said. “The family, together with us, agreed there will be a private funeral service for comrade Tina, and in that funeral service, we will all give the family the necessary support and, once more, afford them space to give her a decent send-off in accordance with their wishes,” Mokonyane said, while addressing a briefing in Cape Town on the activities that were planned to mourn her. The briefing came after Mokonyane, together with national executive committee deployees to the Western Cape, Pam Tshwete and Alvin Botes, and the ANC Western Cape leadership, spent almost half of Wednesday with Joemat-Pettersson’s family – her brothers and extended family. Members of…

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said Eskom intended to find solutions to exempt schools, hospitals, clinics and police stations from load shedding where it was feasible. Gordhan said Eskom was engaging the entities regarding the supply of electricity. “Once this engagement has been completed, where possible, measures will be implemented to mitigate the impact of load shedding as far as practically possible,” he said. He was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly from IFP MP Mzamo Buthelezi, when he asked whether Eskom intended to implement a policy provision that would exempt schools, hospitals, clinics and police stations from load shedding. Buthelezi also asked why Eskom was appealing against the high court order that the facilities be exempted within 60 days. Gordhan said Eskom was currently exempting more than…

‘Far-reaching reforms urgently needed to lift growth, create jobs and reduce poverty’ THE playbook is predictably familiar, as if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) enjoyed a Groundhog Day tryst with South Africa. The fund’s 2023 Article IV Consultation Report with South Africa, published on Tuesday, does not disappoint. Even the National Treasury’s response followed the script, almost to the letter: “The National Treasury appreciates the productive engagement with the IMF and is aware of the downside risks to economic growth, and the government is working on further measures in this regard.” International gatekeeper organisations such as the World Bank/IMF group, the UN conurbation, the OECD, the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision and Regulation, the Bank of International Settlements, and the World Trade Organization often come up against growing push back…

Countries are racing to prepare for extreme weather later this year as the world tips into an El Nino – a natural climate phenomenon that fuels tropical cyclones in the Pacific and boosts rainfall and flood risk in parts of the Americas and elsewhere. Yesterday, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) declared that an El Nino is now under way. The past three years have been dominated by the cooler La Nina pattern. Scientists say this year looks particularly worrying. The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures. Experts are also concerned about what is…

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh protested yesterday, demanding to be repatriated to Myanmar, so that they could leave the squalid camps they have lived in since fleeing a brutal military crackdown in their homeland in 2017. More than a million Rohingya have been crammed into the camps in southeastern Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee settlement. Most fled the crackdown by Myanmar’s military almost six years ago, although some have been there for longer. During yesterday’s demonstrations across the sprawling camps, refugees, young and old, waved placards and chanted slogans. “No more refugee life. No verification. No scrutiny. No interview. We want quick repatriation through UNHCR data card. We want to go back to our motherland,” the placards read. “Let’s go back to Myanmar. Don’t try to stop…

MANILA: The Philippines raised the alert level at the popular Mayon volcano by a notch yesterday, after detecting volcanic earthquakes and hundreds of rockfall events. The 2 462m volcano in central Albay province “is exhibiting magmatic eruption,” the state volcanology agency said in a statement. At “alert level 3” on a scale of 5, Mayon has increased chances of lava flows and explosive activity within weeks or even days. The agency said people within a 6km radius of the volcano should be evacuated while pilots should avoid flying their aircraft close to the volcano’s crater. Mayon has erupted over 50 times in the past four centuries. | Reuters…

JOEY Mongalo said it would be “extremely special” to win the Currie Cup in his first season as Sharks coach, but that the journey was far from complete to lift the trophy. The former Junior Springbok flyhalf – who was also a keen cricketer and holds a masters degree in industrial psychology – has walked a long road to get to this point. Mongalo moved from the pitch to marketing at the Blue Bulls, and then later became a renowned coach at the Lions, firstly with the junior teams before he graduated to the Currie Cup side and Super Rugby in 2018, when they reached a third consecutive final, as well as a stint with the SA Under-20 team. The 38-year-old joined the Bulls in 2020 as…